Senate Seeks Urgent Repairs Of Third Mainland, Second Niger Bridge

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The Senate yesterday stressed that the Third Mainland Bridge and Niger bridges in Lagos and Anambra States are in dire need of rehabilitation.

On the Third Mainland Bridge, Senator Gbenga Ashafa (ACN-Lagos) revealed that an independent assessment showed that repair works carried out in October 2012 by the Ministry of Works did not meet the required standard.

“Repair works embarked upon during the last quarter of 2012 by the Ministry of Works, were just mere window dressing on the expansion joints.

“A recent report by some experts in concrete structural engineering found out that the last repairs that were done at the end of October did not meet the entire requirement. The experts went back after those remedial actions were taken and came back with the report that something has to be done urgently.

“So when this alarm was sounded, we thought we have to make it a subject of urgent national importance,” he said.

He therefore raised a motion on the urgent need to investigate and avert the imminent collapse of the bridge.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu noted that though some repairs had been done, there was still need to carry out a thorough job, stressing: “What is worth doing is worth doing well”.

On the River Niger Bridge, the Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Works to undertake immediate reinforcement, repairs, and rehabilitation of the bridge.

It also enjoined the Federal Ministry of Works to take immediate action to commence work on the second Niger Bridge project before the end of the first quarter of 2013.

Senate President David Mark agreed with the senators that there was need for urgent interventions in the cases brought before the chamber.

“Let’s find solution so that the bridge does not collapse. There is need for the bridges to be repaired, and urgently too,” he said.

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